"Show me the money": AI use in the year 2026

Last updated: 06.01.2026 09:00

Artificial intelligence has now reached a high level of maturity. For companies in 2026, the focus will therefore no longer be on technology, but on reliable ROIs and data sovereignty. Trying things out is a thing of the past. The two VIER experts Carsten Fiegler and Daniel Krantz know more!

The following applies for 2026: the days of AI experiments are over. AI must prove itself in operational customer contact with measurable ROIs and scalable service quality. Companies attach great importance to data sovereignty and compliance when using AI. The next evolutionary stage of intelligent automation is multi-agent systems (MAS), which work together autonomously as distributed AI agents - while humans only intervene when necessary.

These are the AI trends predicted by the German technology company VIER:

#1 No More Doubt - Safety as an integral part of AI stacks

Gen AI is no longer a risk game. The industry is focusing on reliability, data security and compliance. With geopolitical tensions palpable, many companies are already moving data and workloads away from global hyperscalers to sovereign or regional clouds. This so-called geopatriation will increase significantly in 2026. Data sovereignty will become a strategic location factor. At the same time, digital provenance - the origin and integrity of data, models and content - will become a new competitive factor. This is because companies need mechanisms for tracking and authenticating digital assets in order to ensure trust in AI systems. "This is where AI Security Platforms come into play. These new security platforms secure the entire lifecycle of AI applications - from model training and data quality to policy management and attack detection," says Carsten Fiegler, Vice President Business Communications at VIER.

#2 Show me the Money - AI brings real cost reductions and efficiency gains

In 2026, customer benefits, efficiency gains and reliable ROI will be what counts. Companies are no longer investing in initial proof of concepts - AI must prove itself in operational customer contact. "AI technology is ready. Gen AI is reliable and - if implemented strategically and operationally correctly - can ensure faster processing, higher service quality and scalable capacities. Anyone who cannot show measurable results by 2026 will be left behind," says Daniel Krantz, Vice President AI at VIER.

#3 Multiagent systems and the human in the loop

In 2026, we will experience the next evolutionary stage of intelligent automation: distributed AI agents that work together autonomously like a team Companies will use these multi-agent systems (MAS) to make complex business processes more scalable and resilient. "Their work will only occasionally need to be corrected by a human," expects Carsten Fiegler. "With the human-in-the-loop approach, human knowledge and decision-making skills remain integrated into AI processes."

DSLMs, Domain-Specific Language Models, i.e. industry or function-specific language models, are also becoming important. They are increasingly replacing generic AI systems, delivering more precise results, reducing incorrect outputs and enabling clean regulatory prompting in sensitive environments.

#4 Physical AI - Artificial intelligence leaves the digital space

"Artificial intelligence will leave the digital space in 2026," states VIER Vice President Carsten Fiegler. "In future, physical AI will control robots, drones and machines in the real world. IT, OT and IoT will merge into a common intelligence layer." And software development will become AI-native. Platforms will integrate generative and assistive AI functions directly into the development process. AI-native development platforms will significantly improve productivity, quality and time-to-market for companies.

#5 Voice is king - personal, empathetic telephone service with AI

Despite all digital channels: People prefer to speak. Telephony remains the most important service channel. AI-supported voice interfaces combine this customer preference with modern automation. "Speech-to-speech experiences take service to a new level and make it personal, empathetic and immediately available. Voice AI significantly reduces customer service costs - while increasing customer satisfaction at the same time," explains VIER AI expert Daniel Krantz.